Birdy

Name: Birdy
Genre: Drama, War
Released: 1984-12-14
Duration: 2 h
Rating: 7.4
Cast: Matthew Modine, Nicolas Cage, John Harkins, Sandy Baron, Karen Young

A soaring experience unlike anything you've ever seen before.

Birdy (1984)

Timing: 2:0 (120 min)

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no scores

7.1/10
590

7.2/10
27000

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Everything about the movie

Video 4

Photo 36

Actors and characters

Video for the film Birdy — Birdy (1984) Original Trailer [FHD]

2:45

Photo 36

Release date

1984-12-14

Country

United States

Production

TriStar Pictures, A&M Films

Genre

Drama, War

Budget

$12 000 000

Box office

$1 455 045

Website

http://alanparker.com/film/birdy/

Director

Alan Parker

Actors

Matthew Modine, Nicolas Cage, John Harkins, Sandy Baron, Karen Young, Bruno Kirby, Nancy Fish, George Buck, Dolores Sage, Pat Ryan
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Alan Marshall, David Manson

Camera operator

Michael Seresin

Composer

Peter Gabriel

Artist

Geoffrey Kirkland

Audition

Juliet Taylor

Editing

Gerry Hambling
Whole Team (55)

Short description

Two young men are seriously affected by the Vietnam War. One of them has always been obsessed with birds - but now believes he really is a bird, and has been sent to a mental hospital. Can his friend help him pull through?

What's left behind the scenes

This film marked the first use of the SkyCam camera in a feature film. The camera was held by wires supported by four cranes and controlled by a computer to film the scene of Ptakha’s dream flight.
The birds involved in the film are mentioned in the end credits.
An adaptation of William Wharton's novel of the same name from 1978.
Matthew Modine auditioned for the role of Al, but Alan Parker cast the actor as Ptakha instead.
While preparing for the film, Nicolas Cage demanded that two of his teeth be pulled without anesthesia, just like his character.
The soundtrack was created and recorded in a few days. Peter Gabriel used tracks from his third and fourth albums as the basis for much of the music, including excerpts from “Not One Of Us,” “Family Snapshot,” “The Family and the Fishing Net,” and “San Jacinto.”
Ptakha's real name is never revealed, and it is not mentioned in the novel either.
In the novel, the characters served during World War II; in the film, they returned from Vietnam.